Place of Birth

Creators

Contents

History

Anthony Rodriguez, also known as Big Words, was a founding member of the original Newsboy Legion during the early 1940s. As a child, Anthony was known for his polite demeanor and his advanced vocabulary, hence the nickname. He worked as a newspaper boy in the streets of Suicide Slum, a dangerous neighborhood, and one that often found him in trouble with the law. A beat cop named Jim Harper took a liking to Rodriguez (as well as three other troublesome youths) and decided to keep an eye on them. Harper petitioned the Metropolis courts to become Rodriguez' legal guardian. Along with Tommy Tompkins, Gabby and Scrapper, they formed the Newsboy Legion. What Rodriguez didn't know at the time was that Jim Harper was more than just their legal guardian, he was also the super-hero known as Guardian. Guardians exploits often brought him into contact with the Newsboy Legion and eventually, they discovered his secret identity.

As an adult, Rodriguez became a scientist at Project Cadmus. He was instrumental in a process that created clones of the original Newsboy Legion. Rodriguez' clone adopted the same advanced vocabulary as Anthony himself and was also nicknamed "Big Words". Rodriguez was also one of the principal scientists charged with creating a clone mixed with the DNA of both Lex Luthor and Superman. The result was a teenage half-Kryptonian who came to be known as Superboy.

An administrative shake-up changed the face of Project Cadmus several years later and Rodriguez left the organization. Rodriguez, along with the rest of the original newsies was murdered by Codename: Assassin.

Powers and Abilities

Abilities

Genetics: Anthony Rodriguez was an expert in the field of bio-genetics; specifically cloning.

Paraphernalia

Transportation

Whiz Wagon: Big Words and the other Newsies used a specially designed vehicle given to them by Morgan Edge called the Whiz Wagon.

Notes

Although this character was originally introduced during DC's Earth-Two era of publication, their existence following the events of the 1985–86 limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths remains intact. However, some elements of the character's Pre-Crisis history may have been altered or removed for Post-Crisis New Earth continuity, and no longer apply.